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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Allen County, Ohio
And Representative Citizens
Edited and Compiled by
Charles C. Miller, Ph. D.
Assisted by
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
Lima, Ohio
Published by Richmond & Arnold
George Richmond; G. R. Arnold
Chicago, Ill
1906
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JAMES M. COCHRAN,
one of the well-known residents of Marion township and a
veterinarian of great skill, belongs to one of the very old
families of Tennessee, which is also numbered among the old and
honored pioneer families of Allen County. His male
ancestors were distinguished both in the War of the Revolution
and in the War of 1812.
James M. Cochran, the great-grandfather of the
present James M., was born in Scotland and came to
America prior to the Revolutionary War. He settled among
the mountains of Tennessee, took an active part in the affairs
of his section, participated in the border wars and, as far as
known, protected his property and family in those pioneer days,
as became a man of sturdy courage. His three sons were
named, William. Benjamin and Isaac.
William Cochran, the eldest, was our
subject’s paternal grandfather. He was born in Tennessee and
served seven years in the Indian wars of his native State. In
the War of 1812 he also served as a soldier and for this service
received a land grant of 200 acres located in Paulding County,
Ohio. He had settled, prior to this, among the pioneers of
Ross County, Ohio, where he married Betsey Mannery,
a lady of Irish extraction and of Revolutionary ancestry.
To this marriage were born 10 children, of whom the following
reached mature years: John M., Jane, James, Catherine, Nancy
and William. Of these, John M. was
treasurer. of Putnam County. When he went to the county
seat to make settlement, he carried the funds in his wallet on
horseback, the amount at that time not exceeding $60. William,
his brother, was one of the early sheriffs of Putnam County, a
representative man of his day, prominent in political and
business life.
William Cochran the elder was an able man
and left the impress of his sterling character on every locality
in which he lived. From Ross County he moved in 1821 to
what is now Allen County. He “squatted" on a small farm on
the Auglaize River and during his short period of residence
cleared up one field. This farm, located in section 4,
Marion township, is now owned by the King family
and is occupied by a Mr. Wagner. After the
land came into the market Benjamin Cochran bought
it and William then removed to the farm now occupied by
Mr. Long, located two miles north of Dr.
Cochran’s home in section 22, with the Auglaize River
bordering it on the west. Later he bought 103 acres at
Middlepoint, Van Wert County, and this, together with his land
in Paulding County, made him the owner of 310 acres. He
died on his farm at Middlepoint, at the age of 88 years, one of
the few survivors of the pioneers who had come to Allen County
before the Shawnee Indians had departed. He served officially in
Putnam (Allen) County, and was a circuit court judge, being
appointed at Kalida, Ohio.
James Cochran, the third son of
William Cochran and the father of Dr. Cochran,
was born in Ross County, Ohio, Nov. 25, 1804. Born among
pioneer surroundings, his education was limited. School
terms were of short duration in those days and accommodations
necessarily poor in the small, hastily constructed log
school-houses; but he possessed the native ability of his family
and was reckoned among the well-informed men of his day.
The large amount of active, outdoor exercise involved in
clearing and cultivating the pioneer farm, gave him a stalwart
frame and the robust health which prolonged his years for beyond
those of his contemporaries. He died in Marion township,
Allen County, June 12, 1893. His son, our subject, can
recall many of the conditions of pioneer, life from his own
experience and many others from hearsay, and they are very
interesting as presenting a picture so different from what may
be seen here at the present day.
The family home was built first of round logs, right in
the forest, but a more secure one was later constructed of hewed
logs. The clearing of the 100 acres, on which Dr.
Cochran now resides, was done with ox teams, the great
strength of the oxen performing the tasks which now would be
done by machinery. Mr. Cochran used the old
wooden mold-board plow and threshed his grain with a flail.
The Shawnee Indians were yet a powerful tribe in this section,
in fact, when Mr. Cochran came to the county he
had but three families of white neighbors. Treating the
Indians with justice, Mr. Cochran made friends
with the braves and they traded together to their mutual
benefit, and no Indians ever endangered the peace of his family.
With the assistance of his white neighbors, Mr.
Cochran blazed paths through the forests. Wild animals
still roamed all through this section, the wolves and deer
coming to the very door. A number of the latter were shot
from the doorstep, for food. The larder was also easily
supplied with fish from the clear Auglaize River.
For household supplies it was necessary to go to
Defiance by boat, and to Pickaway with grain for the mill, the
latter trip being one of importance and requiring a week’s
absence from home. With his neighbors Mr. Cochran
assisted in the building of the canal, worked in the timber
getting out material for the building of the locks on the same,
and also worked on flatboats which were built at Wapakoneta for
use on the river.
James Cochran was twice married; first on Sept.
10, 1826, to Julia Ann Russell, who was a daughter of one
of the first settlers in Amanda township, where he located in
1817, lived at Fort Amanda and was a large Indian trader.
The children of this marriage were: William R., who
was born in 1829, and two daughters, both of whom died.
The mother of these children died in 1834. Two years later
Mr. Cochran married Isabella Sunderland,
and 12 children were born to this union, the survivors being:
Elizabeth, wife of Isaac Stemen, of Huntington,
Indiana; Julia Ann, wife of Henry Temple,
of Convoy, Ohio; Mary, wife of Robert Martin,
of Nebraska; James, the subject of this sketch; Ellen,
wife of William Daniels, of Missouri; Nancy,
wife of Clarence Hurlbutt, of German township; and
Orlando, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts. Hattie,
deceased, was the wife of Frank Elder. George
served in the Civil War as a member of McLaughlin’s
Squad, Ohio Cavalry, and was taken prisoner in Stoneman’s raid.
He was incarcerated in Andersonville Prison and died in Mellon
Prison in October, 1848. James Cochran was a
magistrate in Marion township and served in a number of the
township offices. He was an elder in the Presbyterian
Church.
James M. Cochran, the immediate subject of this
sketch, was educated in the schools of Marion township, in which
township he has always had his residence. When not more
than seven years of age, he assisted in filling in the
embankment of the P., Ft. W. & C. Railway near his home, hauling
the dirt in his little cart. He well remembers the old
days of harvesting, when he used the old-fashioned cradle almost
from sunrise to sunset, for 75 cents a day. His present
fine farm is operated by a tenant along modern lines. His
beautiful residence and substantial farm buildings are very
noticeable from the Lima turnpike road, the highway which passes
his gate.
Dr. Cochran has always taken more than
the usual interest that an agriculturist and stockman takes in
the health and development of animals, appreciating their many
admirable qualities and understanding their structure and
ailments. During the Civil War, as a member of Company B,
McLaughlin’s Squad, Ohio Cavalry, he put many of his
theories into practice which resulted in the saving of many
horses to the service. Since 1880 he has given almost
constant attention to a veterinary practice which extends all
over the county. He has attended no college; but he has
gained a wonderful amount of useful knowledge in his profession
through practical experience and real interest in his work.
Dr. Cochran has been twice married; first to
Ellen Roush, who was a daughter of Jacob Roush
of Amanda township. The death of his first wife and two
sons, William S. and Edward, left him not only
with his domestic peace disturbed, but just at that time
overcome with financial difficulties, in fact without a dollar.
He was living on his father-in-law’s farm and Mr. Roush
insisted upon his remaining there. Through great industry
and perseverance he managed to regain his financial standing,
and now is one of the substantial men of the township. In
1878 he married, second, Catherine Baxter, who is
a daughter of Samuel Baxter. He has one
daughter by his first marriage, Almerta, who is the wife
of Charles Ford, of Marion township. The
three children of his second union are: Dora, wife of
Jesse S. Myers, who resides in Marion township, south of the
homestead; Orlando Bertrue. living at home; and Viola,
wife of Ernest East. of Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. Cochran remained for a time on Mr.
Roush’s farm in Amanda township, then rented the homestead
farm and finally purchased it. It is a fine property and
possesses more than the usual amount of interest for the Doctor,
as he assisted very materially in the clearing of the greater
part of it from the primitive forest.
Source: History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold, Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 720 |
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JAMES COCHRUN.
Among the old families of this county which possesses a most
interesting history - both on account of the prominence of its
living representatives and its connection with the public
affairs and personages of this section for almost a century - is
that of Cochrun, the earliest record of which relates to
the birth of Rev. Simon Cochrun, the great grandfather of
our subject, James Cochrun.
Rev. Simon Cochrun was a notable man in his day,
having been a Revolutionary soldier and subsequently, for 47
years, an active minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, about 1756, and died
in this county Jan. 9, 1845, aged 89 years, 11 months and 6
days. In all probability he came to Allen County very
early in the ’30’s, being then a minister; as, in the old
records, may be found the statement that he performed the
marriage service for Elias Wright and Sarah
Bowman early in 1835. Rev. Simon
Cochrun had three sons: Thomas, born in Kentucky in
1800, who located on a farm in German township, in 1800; and
Wesley and John, both of whom served in the War of
1812. In 1833 the first school house in the township was
built on the Cochrun farm, with either Asa
Wright or John Summerset as teacher. Church
services were held in the home of John Cochrun by
Rev. Krellum, the pioneer members being John
Cochrun and wife Hester, James Hayes
and wife, a Mr. Ryan, a Mr. Jackson
and Nancy Lippincott. Later Rev. Sullivan
ministered in a church that was destroyed by fire, another being
erected in the northeast corner of the township.
In 1832 Wesley Cochrun, the grandfather
of James Cochrun, of Spencerville, located four
miles north of Lima, where he entered land and improved a farm
on which he lived until the close of his life, dying at the age
of 85 years. He was an enthusiastic member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. His wife survived him some
years, dying at the age of 88. Of their children, seven
reached maturity, viz: John, Simon, William,
Rebecca, Susan, Jane and Sarah.
John located in Franklin County, where he engaged in
agricultural pursuits; Simon, named for his grandfather,
became the father of the Spencerville Cochruns;
Rebecca is deceased; Susan, widow of A. G. Pague,
lived and died on the old homestead; Jane married a Mr.
West and they removed to Texas; and Sarah married
a Mr. McGuire and resided at Ada, Ohio.
Simon Cochrun was born in Ohio in
1822, and died at his home in Amanda township, Feb. 11, 1895.
He was 10 years old when the family came to this county.
He settled in Amanda township in 1855. While he engaged in
various kinds of employment working for a time on the canal,
then in course of construction, and following agriculture as
suited his convenience— he was more fitted for a professional
life, being a man of natural mental superiority. In the
early days he taught a subscription school in the old log
schoolhouse, being thus irregularly employed throughout the
township until after his marriage.
When he reached mature years, Simon Cochrun
married Lucinda Miller, a daughter of William
Miller, who, with his wife Nancy, resided some two
miles west of Cairo, where they reared a family well known
throughout the county. Mrs. Cochrun survived
her husband and later moved to Spencerville, where she died.
The five children of this union were James; Lambert Y.;
William and Elizabeth, both deceased; and
Jasper L.
James Cochrun, the eldest son of Simon
and Lucinda Cochrun, was born in Amanda township in 1847.
He was reared on the home farm, completed his education in the
local schools, and, like his father, for some years combined
farming and teaching. In the winter of 1865, after his
return from military service in the previous August, he began
his career as a teacher and continued thus employed through the
four succeeding winters. He conducted a farm in section
10, Amanda township, in partnership with his younger brother,
Jasper L. Cochrun, the firm making a specialty of
stock-raising. After moving to Spencerville, in 1888, he
continued to be interested in stock and still handles a large
amount, being probably one of the best judges in that line in
the county. From his dealings in live-stock was developed
his butchering business, and for a number of years he conducted
a fine meat-market at Spencerville, to which he later added an
ice business. The latter increased to such proportions
that he disposed of his meat business and devoted his attention
to ice, coal, lime, sand and cement. He now controls the
largest coal business in the place and is one of the town’s
representative business men as well as a leading citizen in
other ways.
In political sentiment Mr. Cochrun has always
been a Republican. He has twice been honored by the
citizens of Spencerville by election to the mayorality, and has
served two terms as justice of the peace. His enlistment
in February, 1865, for service in the Civil War, was for one
year, but the close of hostilities brought about his honorable
discharge in August of the same year. He was a member of
the 191st Ohio Reg. Vol. Inf., under General Brooks and
was mustered out of Company H., at Winchester, Virginia.
His service had been in the Shenandoah Valley.
Mr. Cochrun was married (first) to Jennie
Martin, who died in 1881, and they had two children, both
of whom died in infancy. She was a daughter of
Archelaus and Catherine (Russell) Martin,
the latter of whom was a sister to Susanna Russell,
who was the first white child born in Allen County, her birth
occurring July 13, 1817, at Fort Amanda.
Archelaus Martin was born in Bourbon County,
Kentucky, July 30, 1805, and removed in youth to Champaign
County, Ohio, settling four miles east of Urbana.
Subsequently he removed to Amanda township in what is now Allen
County, and was the second teacher here, having 15 pupils in
1829. He later returned to Champaign County, but
permanently located in Allen County, in 1833 marrying
Catherine Russell, daughter of Andrew
Russell, and settling in section 10, Amanda town ship.
He was a justice of the peace for three terms.
In 1840, after Mr. Martin’s death, his
widow married Hon. Charles C. Marshall. She
died at Delphos, in 1871. Mr. Marshall was
born in Shelby County, Ohio, in 1814, was elected to the Ohio
Legislature, in 1857, and to the State Senate in 1861. In
1865 he removed to Delphos, where he served as justice of the
peace, and later as mayor, being in official life for a period
of 10 years.
Andrew Russell was one of the founders of
Fort Amanda. With his family he occupied the block-house
in the southeast corner of the fort and here his daughter
Susanna was born. He died in 1822, and was buried near
the fort.
In 1887 Mr. Cochrun was married (second), in
Amanda township, to Minnie Hover, who is a
daughter of Cyrus and Martha (Post) Hover— the former of
whom is deceased, while the latter resides in Lima, with her
daughter, Mrs. Hitchcock. The Hover
family is very numerous in Allen County and holds yearly
reunions. the last one being held at old Fort Amanda.
Cyrus Hover, father of Mrs. Cochrun,
was an early settler of this county, locating at Lima, with his
parents, in 1833. In 1846 he engaged in a foundry
business, removing it to Delphos in 1850. In 1863 he
purchased a farm of wild land in Amanda township, which he
improved, but later removed to Spencerville and retired from
active labors. On Aug. 4, 1847, he married Martha
Post, a daughter of C. C. and Elizabeth (Bryant) Post.
She was born in Knox County, Ohio, Aug. 7, 1827. Of their
11 children, Mrs. Cochran is the eighth.
Mr. and Mrs. Cochrun have no family. They reside in
the old Cyrus Hover home, on the Lima
turnpike, where they enjoy the comforts of a beautiful modern
residence. They are members of the Baptist Church.
Mr. Cochrun is identified with the Knights of
Pythias.
Source: History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold, Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 735 |
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JASPER L. COCHRUN,
one of Amanda township's leading citizens and substantial
farmers, resides on his home farm of 101 acres in section 10,
his place being known as the "old Archelaus Martin farm;"
he also owns 179 acres in Auglaize County. Mr. Cochrun
was born in Amanda township, Feb. 1, 1859, and is a son of
Simon and Lucinda (Miller) Cochrun, a grandson of Wesley
Cochrun and a great-grandson of Rev. Simon Cochrun.
Rev. Simon Cochrun was a Revolutionary soldier, and
for almost half a century was a minister in the Methodist
Episcopal Church. His birth occurred about 1756, in
Kentucky, and he died in this county in 1845, aged 89 years, 11
months and 6 days. He had three sons, one of these,
Wesley, becoming the grandfather of Jasper L. Cochrun.
In 1832 Wesley Cochrun
settled on a farm some four miles from Lima, on which he resided
until the close of his life, at the age of 88 years. Of
his large family, seven reached maturity; John, Simon,
William, Rebecca, Susan, Jane and Sarah.
Simon Cochrun, father of our subject, was born in Ohio in
1822 and died Feb. 11, 1895, at his home in Amanda township,
where he had settled in 1855, when our subject was four years
old. For many years he was a teacher in the local schools
and was a man much honored by the entire community. He
married Lucinda Miller, a daughter of William and
Nancy Miller, and five children were born to them. namely:
James, Lambert Y., William, Elizabeth, and Jasper L.
Jasper L. Cochrun was reared on the home farm,
attended the common schools of Amanda township, and preparatory
to teaching enjoyed two terms at the Ohio Normal University at
Ada in 1877 and 1878. He was 19 years old when he
commenced teaching and continued in the profession for five
consecutive years. He then entered into partnership with
his oldest brother, James Cochrun, under the firm
name of Cochrun Brothers, engaging in the buying
and selling of stock and the raising of cattle and hogs.
His brother later removed to Spencerville and engaged in
business there, but our subject has remained on the farm and has
carried on extensive farming and stock-dealing operations for a
number of years. He buys and ships from two to four
car-loads of stock a week, and keeps from 20 to 50 head of
cattle, being one of the leading stockmen of his part of the
county. In June, 1881, Mr. Cochrun was
married to Catherine Belle Cameron, who is
a daughter of James and Sarah (Borsock) Cameron, both of
whom are deceased. Mrs. Cochrun is one of a
large family and was born at Spencerville, Feb. 28, 1859.
Of the four children born to our subject and wife, three
survive: Paul Wesley, James Lee and Helen Ruth.
They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which
Mr. Cochrun is a trustee. Both he and his wife take an
active part in church work and he has served as Sunday school
superintendent and class leader. He was only 17 years old
when he united with this church, and but two survive who then
were members. He has seen many changes in his section of
the county and has done his full share in bringing about its
development and improvement. For many years he has been a
member of the Knights of Pythias.
Source: History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold, Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 710 |
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LAMBERT Y. COCHRUN, the
leading dry goods merchant and notion dealer, at Spencerville,
belongs to one of the old-established families of the county.
Mr. Cochrun was born in Allen County, Ohio, and is a son
of Simon and Lucinda (Miller) Cochrun, a grandson of
Wesley Cochrun and a great-grandson of Rev. Simon Cochrun.
Rev. Simon Cochrun was a very early settler of the
county, one of the pioneer ministers of the Methoidst Episcopal
Church, and had fought in the patriot army during the
Revolutionary War. He was born about 1756 in Montgomery
County, Kentucky, and very early in the'30's migrated to Ohio
and settled in Allen County. Of his three sons, Wesley,
the grandfather of our subject, entered land four miles north of
the city of Lima, in 1832. He was born in Kentucky, in
1800, had served in the War of 1812, and at the age of 32 years
was already a family man. He developed a fine farm from
the wilderness, was a promoter of religion and educaiton in his
locality, and concluded a life of 85 years in useful service to
his family and community. Their humble home of logs was
one of good cheer and hospitality, as it was also the gathering
place for the founders of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the
locality, the whole family having been closely identified with
its establishment. Seven of his children reached maturity,
namely: John, Simon, William,
Rebecca, Susan, Jane and Sarah. John Cochrun
became a farmer in Franklin County, Ohio; Rebecca is
deceased; Susan, widow of A. G. Pague, lived and
died on the old Cochrun homestead; Jane became
Mrs. West and removed to Texas, and Sarah
became Mrs. McGuire and lived at Ada, Ohio.
Simon Cochrun, father of Lambert Y.,
was a man of native ability and acquired education. He was
born in this county in 1822, and died at his home in Amanda
township Feb. 11, 1895. He became one of the leading
educators of the county, teaching a number of years and training
three of his sons to the profession. In 1855 he settled in
Amanda township, where the remainder of his life was passed.
He married Lucinda Miller, a daughter of
William and Nancy Miller, who resided some two miles west of
Cairo. Mrs. Cochrun survived her husband,
and at the time of her death was a resident of Spencerville.
The five children of this marriage were: James, a
prominent business man and well-known citizen of Spencerville;
Lambert Y.; William, who died at the age of 17 years;
Elizabeth, who died when 22 years of age; and Jasper L.,
a farmer of Amanda township.
Lambert Y. Cochrun was carefully reared and well
trained in agriculture on the home farm, where he lived until
his 16th year. He passed creditably through the public
schools; in 1869 completed a course at the National Normal
School, at Lebanon, Ohio, and began teaching when 17 years of
age. He thus continued for five years and then decided to
enter into business. In the spring of 1875 he formed a
partnership with Joseph August in the hardware and
grocery business, which the firm continued for 18 months, when
Mr. Cochrun withdrew and resumed teaching.
In the spring of 1878 he reentered business, purchasing a stock
of groceries and opening up in a small frame building, which has
since been replaced by a business block of fine proportions.
Having made a success of his grocery, he enlarged the scope of
his enterprise by adding a line of boots and shoes, and was
preparing to still further expand the establishment when the
disastrous fire of 1884 destroyed both property and stock.
In a very short time, however, he had completed the erection of
his present two-story brick building, the second to be
constructed of that material in Spencerville. He now has a
commodious store, 26 by 90 feet in dimensions, and equipped in
modern style, as befits the leading dry goods emporium of the
place. His well-selected stock would do credit to a city
of much larger population than Spencerville, and Mr.
Cochrun takes pride in the fact that he satisfies a very
discriminating public. An excellent business man, his
patrons find him also a courteous gentleman with whom it is a
pleasure to deal.
On Mar. 31, 1872, Mr. Cochrun was married
to Margaret E. Berryman, who was born in Auglaize County,
Ohio, July 9. 1852, and is a daughter of Russell and
Elizabeth (Whetstone) Berryman. These children were
born to this union, viz: Bert C., Carrie M., Jannette,
Raymond F. and Frank W. All survive with the
exception of Raymond F., who died aged six years.
The family home, one of the most comfortable and attractive in
the place, is also one of the most hospitable. The young
people are all bright, intellectual, cultivated young Americans,
who enjoy social pleasures with zest, and many literary programs
have been carried out in their pleasant parlors. Mr.
Cochrun and family are connected with the Baptist Church.
Mrs. Cochrun represents one of the old
Ohio families. Tradition, well established, tells of the
beginning of the Berryman family on American soil.
Seven brothers of the name came from England, the names of the
five preserved being John, James, George,
William and Thomas. Prior to the
Revolutionary War they emigrated to New Jersey, and from
William Berryman have descended the Berrymans
of Ohio. He had left England on account of religious
persecution, afterward joining the patriot army and fighting
under Washington. His death is not recorded, but as his
family resided in New Jersey it is probable that he died in that
State. One of his sons —his namesake—emigrated to
Virginia, after the Revolutionary War, settling in the vicinity
of Wheeling, whence he removed to Montgomery County, Ohio.
He then settled on a farm near Dayton, and subsequently removed
to what afterward became Auglaize County, entering 200 acres of
land in Logan township and residing upon it until his death in
1830. Hejoined a Virginia regiment in the ar of 1812, and
was buried in Amanda township.
William Berryman (2) married, in
Virginia, Rachel Clauson, who was born in New
Jersey. When she was a child her parents had emigrated to
Virginia. These grandparents of Mrs. Cochrun
reared five sons and four daughters— the third son, Russell,
becoming the father of Mrs. Cochrun. He was
born in Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1815, and died Jan. 9, 1878.
When he came to Allen County with his parents he was seven years
old. During his boyhood he spent much of his time with the
Indians, so mastering the Shawnee tongue that he was able to
talk fluently in it. His life was mainly passed on the
home stead. Although a strong Democrat, he was not anxious
for political preferment, the only office he ever accepted being
that of director of the County Infirmary. He was married
(first) to Margaret Slain, of West Virginia who
died in 1846, leaving three sons and two daughters. His
second wife was Elizabeth Whetstone, and Mrs.
Cochrun is the fourth member of a family of five daughters
and three sons.
Mr. Cochrun has always been an active and
useful citizen. For two terms he served as corporation
clerk; two terms as treasurer of Spencer township; 14 years as a
member of the Board of Education, and its treasurer for eight
years; one term as township clerk, and six years as a member of
the Town Council.
Source: History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold, Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 713 |
Cyrus D. Crites |
CYRUS D. CRITES,
cashier of The First National Bank of Lima and a leading citizen
of Lima and Allen County, is a member of one of the best known
and most highly respected families of the county. He was
born in German township, Allen County, Ohio, May 11, 1855, and
is a son of Jacob and Mary J. (Cremean) Crites. He
remained on his father's farm working in summer and attending
the district school in winter until 20 years of age, except that
the last three winters he taught school in Amanda township.
He then left the farm to accept the principalship of
the schools at Cridersville, Auglaize County, in which position
he served four consecutive years, during which time he served as
secretary and president of the Auglaize County Teachers'
Institute. His last year in educational work was as
principal of the schools at Beaver Dam, Allen County. In
1881 he entered the office of the county auditor of Allen County
as chief deputy. He served for a period as deputy United
States marshal for the Northern District of Ohio under the first
Cleveland administration, relinquishing this position to assume
the duties of county auditor of Allen County to which office he
was elected in 1887. He was re-elected in 1890, receiving
a majority of 2,200 votes over Jacob Moser, the
Republican candidate, this being the largest majority ever
received by a county candidate in Allen County. Having
accepted the appointment of national bank examiner for Northern
Ohio under the second Cleveland administration, he resigned the
county auditorship Sept. 1, 1894, six weeks before the
expiration of his second term. On Apr. 1, 1895, he
resigned the bank examinership to assume the management of The
First National Bank of Lima as its cashier, which position he
still holds.
Mr. Crites has always been active in Democratic
politics of the State, district and county. He served as a
member of the Democratic State Central Committee from 1889 to
1904 and as its chairman from 1892 to 1894. He directed as
chairman the Ohio campaign of 1892, which resulted in a division
of the electoral vote. He was a member of the Ohio
Democratic Executive Committee of 1901, when Col. James
Kilbourn was the candidate for Governor.
On June 17, 1891, Mr. Crites was married to
Grace A. Cass, daughter of Dr. D. W. Cass, of
Findlay, Ohio. He has two bright sons: Clarence
Daniel, born Jan. 23, 1893; and Virgil Cass, born
Jan. 15, 1895, both now enrolled at the Cloyne School, Newport,
Rhode Island. Mr. and Mrs. Crites are prominent in
the social life of Lima.
Mr. Crites is a truly representative citizen of
Lima and Allen County, active in all things looking to the good
of the city and community. He was one of a committee of
three to plan the successful reception for the State commission
and the presentation before this body of the - claims of Lima
for the proposed new State Hospital for the Insane. He is
regarded as one of the best financiers in Ohio and has made The
First National Bank what it is to-day - one of the soundest
institutions in Ohio. A portrait of Mr. Crites
accompanies this sketch.
Source: History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ.
by Richmond & Arnold, Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 835 |
Hon. S. D. Crites |
HON. S. D. CRITES,
whose portrait appears on the opposite page, ably represents the
32d Senatorial District in the Ohio State Senate. He was
born in German township, Allen County, Ohio, Nov. 28, 1847, and
is a son of Jacob and Mary J. (Cremean) Crites.
Jacob
Crites, father of Senator Crites,
was born Oct. 19, 1822, in Pickaway County, Ohio, came to Allen
County as an early pioneer and died in German township, in
March, 1904. During a long and useful life he was
identified with a large number of the important interests of the
county and was a highly respected man and valued citizen.
S. D. Crites was reared on his father’s farm and
was instructed in all the practical work incident to the
development of a large property. When 18 years of age he
began to teach school. earning enough in this way to enable him
to attend the National Normal University, at Lebanon Ohio, under
the superintendence of that noted educator, President Alfred
Holbrook. In 1870 Mr. Crites was
appointed superintendent of the Elida public schools, a position
he filled with efficiency for 12 successive years, resigning at
the close of this long period on account of failing health.
From 1876 until 1888 he was a member of the Allen County Board
of School Examiners and for nine years he served as a justice of
the peace in German township.
In 1883 Mr. Crites decided to try the effects of
the out-door life necessary in the successful carrying on of
large agricultural operations, and devoted himself to extensive
farming and to the raising, buying and shipping of stock.
A few years of country life restored his normal health. He
now has his farms under rental to J. L. Edmiston and
Alva Benedum, owning two adjoining farms, consisting
of 300 acres.
In 1895 he purchased the grain elevator at Elida, which
he renovated; at present he is operating it in partnership with
his brother, D. H. Crites, who is the active manager.
In September, 1903, Senator Crites organized one
of the leading financial establishments of this part of the
State, the Farmers’ Bank of Elida. Aside from his public
duties, Senator Crites devotes all his time to the
interests of this bank and is ably assisted by his very capable
daughter, Zoe Crites, who is cashier.
Senator Crites has not only been a
prominent figure in the educational and business circles of
Allen County, but for years he has been a dominating factor in
its political life. His sympathies have always been in
accord with the Democratic party. In 1901 he was nominated
by acclamation, an unusual testimonial of party esteem, at the
Democratic District Convention, for the position of State
Senator, to represent the 32d Senatorial District, which is
composed of the rich and populous counties of Allen, Auglaize,
Defiance, Mercer, Pauling, Van Wert and Williams.
He was elected to this high position by a majority of 2,300
votes, and was re-elected at the expiration of his first term,
practically without opposition. His work has been
especially given, as committeeman, to finance, agriculture,
benevolent institutions, common schools and school lands, fees
and salaries, public works and public lands, penitentiaries,
universities, colleges and banks, and building and loan
associations. Upon his retirement from public life,
Senator Crites proposes to devote himself exclusively
to his banking interests.
In 1872 the subject of this sketch was married to
Sarah Jane Reichelderfer, of Pickaway County,
Ohio, who died in the same year. In 1876 he was married to
Emma M. Ditto, and they have four accomplished daughters,
viz: Mrs. S. O. Morris, of Lima; and Mabel, Zoe
and Grace.
Fraternally Senator Crites is a Mason and
has taken all the degrees up to and including the 32d. He
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Elida.
Source:
History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond & Arnold,
Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 461 |
|
|
DAVID
CULP, a retired farmer of Allen County, supervisor of
German township, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, Oct. 10,
1838. His parents were Christian and Elizabeth (Goode)
Culp, the former a native of Augusta County, Virginia.
When he was about 15 years of age, the parents of Christian
Culp moved to Logan County, Ohio, and he later went to
Fairfield County, where he married Elizabeth Goode,
daughter of Joseph Goode, of that county. Nine
children were born to them, viz.: David, Noah,
Christian, Magdalena, wife of John Hawthorn, of
Osborn, Ohio; Fannie, wife of Anthony Miller;
Nancy, wife of John Shank; Annie, wife
of Ephraim Howard; Sophia. wife of Jacob
Amstutz, of Allen County, Indiana: and Elizabeth,
wife of Henry Goode, of Virginia. All reside
in Allen County except Magdalena and Sophia.
When the parents moved to this county in 1851, they made the
trip in covered wagons, five wagons being required to convey
them and their goods here. Our subject passed his 13th
birthday while they were en route to Sugar Creek township, where
they lived several years. David Culp has devoted
his life to agricultural pursuits and has been uniformly
successful in his work retiring a few years ago after years of
industry to enjoy the fruits of his labors. He was married
on June 20, 1861, to Nancy Brenneman, daughter of
John Brenneman, of Fairfield County, Ohio,
formerly from Virginia. They had the following children:
John B., who married Annie Steman and has
six children; Elizabeth, who died Oct. 10, 1880 in her
15th year, just as she was budding into womanhood; Emma J.,
wife of Samuel G. Moore, of Virginia; Nancy, who
married Moses D. Evers, formerly of Virginia, now of
Oregon— they have five children; Malinda, who married
C. H. Steinbuck, a native of Virginia, and resides in Allen
County—they have three children; Martha, wife of
Thomas H. Steinbuck; Ellen Merilla, who died
in 1884 at the age of eight years; Sarah, wife of
Burdette LaRue. of Allen County and the mother of one
child; Lena, who lives at home; and Christian, who
married Laura Showalter, of Virginia, and has one
child. The subject of this sketch has always supported the
Democratic ticket. He is is a member of the Mennonite
Church and was trustee for many years.
Source:
History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond & Arnold,
Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 766 |
Jonathan &
Mrs. Sarah T. Custard |
JONATHAN CUSTARD
Source:
History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ. by Richmond & Arnold,
Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 449 |
NOTES:
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